ENTRY 31- CIVILIZATION SAVAGERY

Language 4 Entry Nª 31


Civilization and savagery in Lord of the Flies


Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding makes use of symbols to present the themes of the novel and the dramatic conflicts. The author explores superficially two kinds of government: the Republic during which there is a period of peace and the Empire where Jack is worshiped like an idol and all the group obey him without questioning.
The Republic is represented by Ralph’s leadership with the conch shell as a symbol of power. The Empire and Absolutism is represented by Jack’s leadership with his spear.
For the time the republic last, the group had the chance to choose, to speak, to say their opinions to the others. They respected each other’s time to speak. The leader, Ralph, knew the needs of the group, shelter, the signal fire to be rescued. He cared for nature advising not to litter everywhere with human depositions. Piggy was a kind of adviser. He was the most intelligent and they combined the power of leadership and intelligence to maintain the group more or less integrated.
As long as the story progresses we see that Ralph’s power diminishes. It has to do with Jack’s desire for power, with the fear of evil in the water, in the air. In the chapter “Beast from Water”, during a meeting called by Ralph, he says :”So remember. The rocks for a lavatory. Keep the fire going and smoke showing as a signal. Don’t take fire from the mountain. Take your food up there.”
Jack stood up, scowling in the gloom, and held out his hands.
“I haven’t finished yet”
“But you’ve talked and talked!”
“I’ve got the conch.”
Jack sat down, grumbling.
“Then the last thing. This is what people can talk about.”
He waited till the platform was very still.
“Things are breaking up. I don’t understand why. We began well; we were happy. And then ___”
he moved the conch gently, looking beyond them at nothing, remembering the beastie, the snake, the fire, the talk of fear. (page 102)
This is the first time Ralph mentions a breaking up. In the same chapter Jack and Ralph argue. Jack feels he is stronger than Ralph. For he bases his strength on his capacity to kill pigs.
“Jack! Jack! You haven’t got the conch! Let him speak.”
Jack’s face swam near him.
“And you shut up! Who are you, anyway? Sitting there -telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing-“
“I’m chief. I was chosen.”
“Why should choosing make any difference? Just giving orders that don’t make any sense-“ (page ll3-ll4)
After this quarrelling Ralph goes chanting with some boys. There is only one boy who stays near them. Ralph cannot see him because it is almost dark now. He asks who he is, and he identifies as Simon. Simon shows respect for rules. Ralph wants to give up after this argument with Ralph. Piggy is against this decision:”I’m scared of him”, said Piggy.
Simon stirred in the dark.
“Go on being chief.”
By this time the three children miss their parents, he feels he is losing authority, nobody except Piggy and Simon respect the rules. He has no solutions. He would like to be in the grown up world. They do not like responsibilities.
In the chapter “Gift for the darkness”, Ralph has a terrible argument with Jack again. Jack want to dismiss Ralph from his leadership asking the boys to vote against him. But nobody did so. This humiliation made Ralph to separate from the group and told all the rest that if they went with him they would be welcomed. Almost all the boys followed Ralph except Simon and the twins Samneric, but later on Simon disappears and the twins joined Jack. Even Ralph and Piggy went to Jack’s place to eat.
Jack is represented as the chief of a tribe, as a kind of king.
“…before the party had started a great log had been dragged into the centre of the lawn and Jack, painted an garlanded, sat there like an idol. There were piles of meat on green leaves near him, and fruit, and coco-nut shells full of drink. “ (page 183)
he gave orders like a king:”Take them some meat” . the rest of the boys acted as if they were Jack’s servants. The boys obey him.
During the feast, there is violence. The celebration ends up with the killing of Simon.
Jack is the representation of cruelty and evil. What he orders is done by the other boys. They tie the twins in order to catch Ralph. Jack and his group had taken castle rock as a symbol of his power over Ralph.